Associate Lecturer in English

I find it funny to be living and teaching in Pocatello, Idaho. I was raised nearby in Twin Falls, and one time swore to leave behind small town life, sagebrush, and deserts forever because, from the beginning, I loved the study of literature for its vision of far off lands, foreign cultures, new ideas, and adventures. So I left home and read about ancient Greeks, Romans, Vikings, philosophers, adventurers, and scholars. I was never disappointed. The study of literature was exciting, challenging, and never-ending.

As I read, I wanted to develop my own ability to write just as well, so as an undergraduate student, I took as many writing classes as I did literature classes. Learning to write well was not easy, but that is what made it worthwhile. Because I had to work hard in order to improve as a reader and I writer, today I make my students work hard to ensure their improvement. When I finished my undergraduate studies, I didn't know what I wanted to be doing beside reading and writing, and so I kept going to school after I finished my bachelor's degree.

In the master's program at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, I was introduced to a new set of writers — nature writers, or environmental writers. These people showed me that reading and writing about what is familiar, reading and writing about home, can be just as intriguing as those far off places. This led me to look closer to home to continue my study of English. At Idaho State University, I continued to study literature and environment. In the doctor of arts program, I was able to add the interdisciplinary subjects of politics and history to my study of nature and art. Discussions about the history, the politics, and the artistic representations of place are continually fascinating to me, and I encourage the students in my composition courses and in my literature courses to reconsider their views of nature and place as they discover new ways of reading and writing. I am happy to call Idaho "home," and I am happy to teach the ways of reading, writing, and thinking that have shown me new ways of understanding.

Selected Publications

"Or Not to Ski." The Idaho Magazine, August 2014.

"In the Mountains, No One Can Hear You Swear." Sunstone Magazine, September 2012.

"Haiku" (poem). Rock and Ice Magazine, March 2012.

"Staying at Home in a Daddly Fashion." Sunstone Magazine, 163 June 2011.